Ephesians 4:28: He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those who have needs.
God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt in order to bring them into the land of promise. God delivers us from the kingdom of darkness to bring us into the kingdom of light.
In today's text Paul instructs those who have been stealing to stop stealing. Paul instructs them to desist from the evil activity of stealing, but then he also commands the church to engage in two positive activities. Paul commands the man who has been stealing to WORK and to GIVE.
Any person who wants to be successful in this life needs to know the value of work. God has always intended for man to work. In Genesis 1:28 God instructs man to exercise dominion over his creation. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the earth."
Then Genesis 2:15 states, The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
In Proverbs 10 there are two verses that speak of a person increasing in wealth. Proverbs 10:22, The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. Then verse four states, Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
Some want the blessing of God to make them rich, but they don't want use their hands diligently to help God produce that wealth. You can't have true wealth without the blessing of God. Yet, you will have no wealth without understanding the truth that God honors work. God expects you to work.
Proverbs 6:6-8 shows that God has instilled in the ant the wisdom of work. Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
Then verses 9-11 rebuke the lazy man for his slumber. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
Paul added in II Thessalonians 3:6-13, In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle, and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
God intends for the church to be compassionate and to demonstrate the love of God to the world. There are numerous Scriptural references to God's desire for the church to feed the poor and to minister to their needs.
God also requires responsibility and accountability. In this passage from II Thessalonians Paul commands the brothers in Christ to stay away from the idle brother in Christ. This is a strong teaching. As believers we should not fellowship with other believers, who have demonstrated a pattern of idleness and who have refused to be responsible and accountable in the area of work.
Then Paul instructed the Thessalonians to follow his example. Paul worked hard. He worked diligently in the work of his ministry of an apostle. He also worked diligently with his own hands to supply his own material needs. Paul added that a man who does not work should not eat.
The church must obey the commands of Scripture to minister to the material needs of the poor. The church, also, must not support fellow believers, who are lazy, irresponsible and unaccountable. If that means not feeding them, then so be it.
I want to share one more verse from the teachings of Paul. I Timothy 5:8, If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
You cannot provide for your relatives unless you have provision to give. Most of us will not have provision to give unless we have worked. I think this teaching is especially important for a married man. The man as the head of the household has the primary responsibility to provide for his family. If a man does not do everything within his power to provide for his family, then Paul says he has denied the faith, and that he is worse than an unbeliever.
Over the last thirty years I have seen men, who did not work hard and provide for their families properly, because they placed ministry aspirations ahead of providing for their families. I believe a man has no ministry to the church or to the world, until he has done everything possible to provide for his own family.
God values work highly. However, please remember there is a balance to life. Just as some are lazy and work too little, some work too much. All of us must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, and part of that process is finding the right balance in life regarding work. There may be seasons in your life, when it is needful for you to work harder, and to work more hours. But the same God, who expects us to work, also established the Sabbath as a day of rest. God honors work and rest.
Next week we will examine the importance of working, so that you will have something to share with others.
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org